Laugh A Lot! I and 3 friends greatly enjoyed Spamalot at the Wynn
yesterday. We had comp tickets (natch!) but if you have to pay, the prices aren't
too bad, with a orchestra seat at around $100 and prices going down for worse
seats. Actually, there are no really bad seats since the theater is fairly
small.
You don't need to be a fan of Monty Python or have seen their movie "Monty
Python and the Holy Grail" to enjoy this musical. One of my friends never
had, and he loved it. If you are a Python fan, you'll really get a kick out of
it. I'd never seen this before, so it was totally fresh to me, and echoes
from the movie only made similar parts more funny. At the end, they got a
standing ovation, and our four all said we would like to see it again (always a
good sign).
John O'Hurley, who is best known as J. Peterman on "Seinfeld" and as a
champion of "Dancing with the Stars" proves he has an excellent voice and does
well in the role of King Arthur. Arthur and his coconut-carrying
stooge/valet/attendant Patsy (well-played by Justin Brill) go off in search of Knights for
the round table and then search for the Holy Grail. The plot doesn't follow
exactly the plot of the movie, but is generally along those lines. All the
actors/actresses were very good -- funny, good dancers, and good singers.
During our performance the usual Lady of the Lake, Nikki Crawford, was absent,
but her understudy, Reva Rice, did an excellent job.
I wish I had seen the Broadway version to know what sort of changes had been
made, but certainly the show has been tweaked for Vegas -- and the tweaking
is really good. The show seems made for Vegas, rather than Broadway, though
there are still lots of pointed barbs about Broadway, now mingled with jibes
at Las Vegas too - with mentions of Wayne Newton, a jab at Phantom of the
Opera (playing at the Venetian), wedding chapels, etc. What happens in Camelot
stays in Camelot in this production. The Lady of the Lake and her Laker
girls metamorphosize into Las Vegas showgirls in some numbers, and that just fits
the show and Las Vegas to a V.
Some of the songs started in the movie "Holy Grail", such as "The Knights of
the Round Table", but have been expanded. Others are original for the show.
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was originally in another Python
show. Composer John Du Prez does a good job in providing fun songs. Python
Eric Idle is credited with the book, lyrics, and music, and the book is really
funny with all sorts of gags.
Except for foreign tourists who don't understand much English, I think most
Vegas visitors and locals will find this a delightful show.
I urge you to see this one -- really enjoyable.
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